Event Details

The North Jersey Chapter of the Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) Presents:

Cornell University's Milstein Hall

Presented by Alastair C. Elliott, PE, LEED AP, Associate

Robert Silman Associates - Structural Engineers

Crowne Plaza - Fairfield, NJ

Designed using sustainable practices by the well-known architect Rem Koolhaas, Milstein Hall is a 47,000-square-foot, $37.6 million, two-story building for Cornell University’s College of Architecture, Art and Planning. It connects two of the college’s other buildings and expands the available program space for the college with the second floor providing a flexible studio space immersed with natural light from windows and skylights. The second floor was also designed to accommodate a future library. A presentation area and gallery space is located in the basement level, which also features a 250-seat auditorium. The first floor is a framed concrete slab with a curved domelike structure that rises to intersect the second floor. A concrete bridge intersects the dome to connect two ends of the first floor. The second floor and roof are framed in steel. The building extends over University Avenue and a full-story height truss, which cantilevers 50 feet over the roadway, was provided for this purpose. A hybrid type truss was used that combines elements of both a conventional and Vierendeel type truss.

At the west end of the building, wrapping an exposed steel-framed stair tower in steel mesh will eventually allow it to be covered in vines and similar plants. It was anticipated that the stair tower and the main building would deflect differentially, and the connections to the main building were designed to accommodate this movement.

Milstein Hall’s sustainable features include a recycled content in steel and concrete, skylights for natural lighting, radiant floor heat and a green roof above the second-floor studio spaces. Tight coordination between structure and building systems minimized the building volume resulting in a reduction in building materials.

This program is approved for 1 PDH.

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